The goal of performance testing is to determine the system performance under a defined workload using different types of performance testing such as load, stress, and soak or endurance testing. Performance testing tools are available in three versions, depending on your needs.

Rational Performance Tester Starter Edition (no charge)

Get performance testing at no charge

Rational Performance Tester Starter Edition helps you get up and running with performance testing. You don’t need a product activation license to use the starter edition. The starter edition is a no-charge download. Use it to create and enhance tests.

Get introduced.

The Rational Performance Tester Starter Edition is a no-charge offering for you to get started with creating and debugging tests for all the test extensions. There is no data or time limit to the starter edition.

Rational Performance Tester

What is Rational Performance Tester?

Rational Performance Tester helps you automate load and scalability testing of web, ERP, Citrix, and server-based software applications. You can capture performance requirements (such as load, contention and volume) in your test plans and have Rational Performance Tester measure the results under varying loads. Tests are generated automatically by recording the network traffic that is generated when the client interacts with the application under test running on the server. This network traffic is then emulated on multiple virtual users to create realistic workloads that exercise the key business transactions. Test assets are automatically deployed to as many load generation agents as are needed to achieve the required scalability. The trial version of Rational Performance Tester has all features enabled. Download the trial for an evaluation period of 30 days.

Launch performance tests from UrbanCode Deploy.

With every release testers have a multitude of test cases to execute; including regression testing existing features, testing new features, testing different devices, environments, operating systems, browsers and so on. Using Rational Performance Tester and UrbanCode Deploy, you can automate a large number of these tests.

Gain knowledge and best practices about performance testing.

Performance Testing Conceptual Foundation Series is a three part video that explains the theory behind performance testing and suggests best practices for determining optimum load testing scenarios. Part 1 describes the observed emergent behavior of systems when under stress and the theory behind conducting performance testing. Part 2 describes the non-linear relationship between workload and resource numbers and the techniques available to address the problems. Part 3 summarizes best practices for load testing.

Download the trial.

Rational Performance Tester on Cloud

What is Rational Performance Tester on Cloud?

Rational Performance Tester on Cloud helps you leverage the cloud to enable large-scale and globally distributed performance testing. This offering uses the SoftLayer public cloud to extend IBM Rational Performance Tester load generation capacity for HTTP, SOA, and socket tests on an as-needed basis employing a pay-as-you-go model. You can also use the VMWare private cloud for load testing. Currently, the VMWare private cloud capability is available on a trial basis.

Scale up the load by using IBM cloud resources.

With Rational Performance Tester, use cloud based load generation to load test your HTTP SOA and socket applications. Simply specify the number of virtual machines and RPT will set them up for you in SoftLayer. This ease in setting up agent machines provides flexibility to scale up the load based on the need for different applications and releases. The pay as you go model for the cloud allows you to pay for computing resources only when needed instead of having to maintain a lab of machines 24×7. You can choose to use the cloud service from a public cloud such as IBM SoftLayer or from a private cloud such as VMWare. See how to use SoftLayer to run a cloud schedule.

Get practical guidance and examples

Combine IBM Rational Performance Tester with the significant computing resources in IBM SoftLayer to simulate real world use of your application by geographically distributed virtual users. By using Rational Performance Tester with SoftLayer, you can achieve highly scalable load testing at reduced cost.

It’s valentine’s day, you’ve got a release imminent and a loved one who wants to know when they’ll see you again. How can we ensure that you’re not stuck, hanging around the office at 9pm trying to get to the bottom of some niggly performance issue or failing API? Bringing the key themes of DevOps...

We’ve added Unified Reporting support to publish test results to the Unified Reporting dashboard on IBM Rational Test Control Panel. You can get an overview of Unified Reporting support in 9.1.1 in the blog Reporting and viewing test outcomes made simpler than ever. Be sure to see the Unified Reporting video for a use case...

9.1.1.1 is available for Rational Performance Tester and Rational Service Tester for SOA Quality. For the full details of each release, see Fix list for Rational Performance Tester and Rational Service Tester for SOA Quality

Release 9.1.1.1 is available for Rational Integration Tester, Rational Performance Test Server, and Rational Test Virtualization Server. For the full details of each release, see the following support documents: Fix list for Rational Integration Tester Fix list for Rational Performance Test Server Fix list for Rational Test Virtualization Server

In Test Workbench 9.1.1 we added several enhancements to Performance Tester. Check out the list and be sure to give them a try. Viewing and sharing test results with our new reporting dashboard Project stakeholders want to see test results without installing the workbench or being a workbench user. Now, in 9.1.1 with reporting dashboard,...